Greta Thurberg blasts world leaders in emotional speech

September 26, 2019 - Global News
Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg on Monday opened the United Nations Climate Action Summit with an angry condemnation of world leaders for failing to take strong measures to combat climate change.

Climate change is the most important life issue today - Dan Horan

September 5, 2019 - NCR
In recent decades there has been some nasty infighting among Catholics who argue about which life issue is the most important, especially in guiding one's political choices. Some groups — often the loudest — say abortion is the single most important life issue. Others say euthanasia or assisted suicide is the most important. Still others, in keeping with the church's longstanding tradition of the sanctity of all life, say that we cannot single out one such issue but recognize that as Catholics we must maintain a consistent ethic of life, an ethical outlook sometimes referred to as the "seamless garment" approach... 
A glacier lagoon is seen in southern Iceland in July 2017. (CNS/Thomson Reuters Foundation/Thin Lei Win)
Instead of working to solve the crisis ...Trump and his administration are actively exacerbating it. According to a New York Times report published last week, the Trump Administration has "rolled back" 84 environmental rules and policies so far.

... While I agree with the intellectual and moral integrity of the consistent ethic of life principle, which upholds that every human life — born and unborn — is inherently valuable, dignified, and must be protected, we live in a time in which there is now a more fundamental issue that threatens all life: climate change. For this reason, it seems to me dangerously shortsighted to propose directing our attention, argumentative energies, and financial resources to any singular anthropocentric ethical issue. The stakes are too high for us now to be so myopic. 
Global climate change threatens every life now and poses an existential danger to the very condition of the possibility for future life on this planet. If we are called to be moral agents guided by a seamless garment approach, as I believe we are, then climate change is the body on which such a garment hangs.The preservation of particular human lives is predicated on the future of the planet and delicate ecosystems on it that make life possible at all.           .... READ ALL
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​The Story of Bottled Water

June 24, 2019 
This is an older video, but it is still so relevant today that we thought we should post it now. Take note of the suggestions made; a time for action. (8:04 min)

​Billion Dollar Buyout

Report – Billion Dollar Buyout: How Canadian taxpayers bought a climate-killing pipeline and Trump’s trade deal supports it
Less than 24 hours after declaring a climate emergency, the Trudeau government announced it will be moving forward with the climate-polluting Trans Mountain pipeline project.

This project will ensure the expansion of the tar sands in Alberta, Canada’s largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and take us even more off track from meeting our environmental commitments in the face of impending climate disaster.

Beyond that, a new report outlines why the Trans Mountain pipeline is a bad economic choice and the benefits of the project have been grossly overstated.
Petition: Tell Trudeau to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline

​7 secrets that forests have been keeping from you
May 27, 2019 - FAO UN
Forests do more for us than we realize. They clean our water and filter our air, and they provide food, medicine and fuel for more than a billion people worldwide. ​
Here are 7 ways how and some of their best kept secrets:
  1. Supermarkets – Almost 50 percent of the fruit we eat comes from trees...​
  2. Life insurance - Some communities rely almost exclusively on forests for their food sources. Around 40 percent of the extreme rural poor – around 250 million people...
  3. Water Fountain- Forests provide a large part of the drinking water...
  4. Energy - Around one-third of the world’s population use wood as their source of energy for necessities such as cooking, boiling water and heating...
  5. Superhero- Forests and trees...are like Superman....in the fight against climate change...removing pollutants....tackle land degradation and stand up against biodiversity loss ...
  6. Carbon sinks - act as carbon sinks, absorbing the equivalent of roughly 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year...
  7. Recreation – Trees are stress relievers...Nature-based tourism is growing ...accounts for... 20 % of the global market...
                            Read full article

Human society under urgent threat from loss of Earth's natural life

Scientists reveal 1 million species at risk of extinction in damning UN report
Human society is in jeopardy from the accelerating decline of the Earth’s natural life-support systems, the world’s leading scientists have warned, as they announced the results of the most thorough planetary health check ever undertaken.

From coral reefs flickering out beneath the oceans to rainforests desiccatinginto savannahs, nature is being destroyed at a rate tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10m years, according to the UN globalassessment report.
​
The biomass of wild mammals has fallen by 82%, natural ecosystems have lost about half their area and a million species are at risk of extinction – all largely as a result of human actions, said the study, compiled over three years by more than 450 scientists and diplomats.

                       Read the full article which has many facts and photos.

Protect Our Species on Endangered Species Day!

May 15, 2019
​
May 17th, 2019, will mark the 14th annual Endangered Species Day. By working together, we can stem the tide of extinction and preserve our natural heritage for future generations. 

​ LEARN MORE

​If we care about plastic waste, why won’t we stop drinking bottled water?

 Photograph: Jan-Otto/Getty Images
April 30, 2019 - The Guardian
We have all seen the damage plastic waste is doing around the world – but sales of bottled water have continued to grow.
Environmental campaigners are struggling to fathom why nations blessed with clean tap water grow only fonder of the bottle.
“Public awareness has never been higher, but the message is not quite reaching all the people it needs to.”          READ MORE

​Where Your Recycled Plastic Ends Up - Trashing the Planet

April 27, 2019 - The Story of Stuff Project

Call on Canada to become part of the solution​

April 23, 2019 - Amnesty International
People who speak out to defend land, water and forests in Latin America are seeking to protect the rights and well-being of their communities.
 In turn, they face unprecedented attacks and killings for the essential work they do, with Indigenous people and racial minorities experiencing the greatest danger.
​It's a terrifying situation, emblemized by the murder of Lenca Indigenous water defender, Berta Cáceres.
The toll of earth defenders lost to deadly violence continues to grow in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, and other countries in Latin America.      Learn More
They are not giving up; neither should we. Our Federal Government made promises to appoint an Ombudsman (with power) which they have not kept! - FVC

Canada warming at twice the global rate!

April 4, 2019 - CBC National
In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report stressing the urgency for nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to a level achieving a limit of 1.5 degrees C. 

Nations are far behind in achieving this level and emissions are due to increase again this year.  
Everyone feels the effects of the warming temperatures with the Arctic and Antarctic noticing significant changes. As a nation, Canada is warming the fastest according to recent news.  (Felician Sister of N. America)

Human Right to  Clean Water 
February 21, 2019 - Blue Ocean Network
​International Straw Free Day was February 3rd. Plastic straws never biodegrade and are in the oceans and landfills forever. 
 
Did you notice that you rarely if ever use a straw at home but always take one when you eat out? Here's the challenge: Can you go without using a straw every day? Can you say "no" to plastic straws when you eat out? Do it every time and ask others to do the same.                   Learn more

SumOfUs pushes Ottawa to speed up plan to ban bee-killing pesticides

February 14, 2019 - SumOfUs
Canada's bid to ban wildlife-damaging chemicals by 2025 is too slow, says environmental group's co-founder. 
 Bees are dying -- and all the evidence is pointing towards toxic neonic pesticides as being the main culprit for the death of these vital creatures.
 Call on the Federal government to pass legislation to save the bees and neonics by the end of 2019.             Sign Petition
Photo: Andrea Reiman(@firstmohican)

Earth Day 2019: Protect Our Species

January 30, 2019  -  Earth Day Network
Earth Day (April 22) 2019 marks the 49th anniversary of the first Earth Day. We are excited to announce that our theme this year is ​Protect Our Species! 
Nature's gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love. Many more species remain to be discovered. Unfortunately, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since the extinction of the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago.
The impacts are far-reaching. Here are some quick facts on the current wave of extinction and additional background information about this problem.
All living things have value in and of themselves and each one plays a unique role in the complex web of life.
Earth Day Network has developed Toolkits that contain ideas for actions and resources to help you and your communities participate in Earth Day 2019's Protect Our Species campaign.
​                                                              
                                                                 LEARN MORE
December 5, 2018
(They) are looking for multidisciplinary women to join our crew. You don't need to be an experienced sailor – we want individuals who are passionate about tackling ocean plastic with different skillsets and from different backgrounds. 

2 years. 30 voyages. 300 women.

Round the World 2019-2021 is an all-female sailing voyage and scientific research mission. Over 38,000 nautical miles and 30 voyage legs starting and ending in the United Kingdom, eXXpedition crews will explore plastics and toxics in our ocean, via four of the five oceanic gyres and the Arctic.
Connected by a passion to protect our shared ocean, it will enable 300 women to go to sea as hands-on crew and experience first hand the challenges we face from single-use plastics, while contributing to cutting-edge scientific research and solutions-based thinking.

Plastic Production Pollutes Small Town

December 2, 2018 - The Story of Stuff
A mini-documentary exploring the connection between plastic and fossil fuels?

TELL CANADA YOU WANT TO END PLASTIC WASTE

November 19, 2018 - environmental defence
Next week, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial environment ministers are meeting in Ottawa to finalize their national plan to fight plastic pollution.  It’s vital that the plan is both ambitious and enforceable if we’re going to improve our terrible 11 per cent recycling rate for plastic waste. ​Sign the petition now to make sure they know you want a plastic waste free environment by 2025. Learn more

CBC TV, The Weekly, looks at the Glyphosate (Round-up) concern

November 11, 2018 - CBC TV, The Weekly
In March 7, 2016, Franciscan Voice Canada wrote, "According to the World Health Organisation, the chemical contained in Monsanto's Roundup weed killer can cause cancer. It's so pervasive that it is found everywhere: in our bread, our tampons, and even in breast milk." The concerns have not gone away. Listen to the story on CBC, the Weekly. In the last year Monsanto was bought by Bayers making them an even greater force to be concerned with. 

60% of world's wildlife has been wiped out since 1970!!

October 30, 2018 - WWF & CBC
Well over half the world's population of vertebrates, from fish to birds to mammals, have been wiped out in the past four decades, says a new report from the ​World Wildlife Fund.
Between 1970 and 2014, there was 60 per cent decline, on average, among 16,700 wildlife populations around the world according to the 2018 edition of the Living Planet Report released Monday. 
"We've had a loss of nearly two-thirds, on average, of our wild species," said James Snider, vice-president of science, research and innovation for WWF-Canada. WWF News Release  (Digital Journal)
"The magnitude of that should be eye opening… We really are reaching a point where we're likely to see species go extinct. That's true in Canada and abroad."
The WWF says the biggest drivers of the declines are habitat loss and overexploitation, but says climate change is a growing threat.

                    READ THE CBC STORY (Oct 29, 2018)
Why Canada's endangered species are declining faster than ever (CBC News - Sept 14, 2017) 
​
The federal government decided not to list certain populations of Atlantic cod, Atlantic bluefin tuna and B.C. chinook and sockeye salmon, contrary to scientists' recommendations.
A Westcoast fish hatchery​ is trying desperately
to save the salmon
What took 100's of millions of years to create man is destroying in a couple of 100 years. Government inaction is no longer an option.
Let us all speak up! Learn what you can do and act! - FVC

 Bishops' Urge Strong Action on Climate Change

October 29, 2018 - CRUX
On Friday, at the closing of the Synod on the Youth, the presidents of Bishops Conferences in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe signed a joint statement calling for bold action from governments to keep global warming below 1.5C. This statement was directed towards world leaders before the Conference of Parties in Poland this December. Based on the principles of Laudato Si’, this statement highlights that climate change is an issue of intergenerational justice, human dignity and human rights.        READ THE CRUX ARTICLE   ---    Read the Joint Statement

          Was this statement signed by Canadian and American Bishops, and if not, why not? - FVC

​UN report on global warming carries life-or-death warning

October 8, 2018 - CBC News
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issues gloomy report at meeting in Incheon, South Korea

Preventing an extra single degree of heat could make a life-or-death difference in the next few decades for multitudes of people and ecosystems on this fast-warming planet, an international panel of scientists reported Sunday. But they provide little hope the world will rise to the challenge.

In the 728-page document, the UN organization detailed how Earth's weather, health and ecosystems would be in better shape if the world's leaders could somehow limit future human-caused warming to just a half degree Celsius from now, instead of the globally agreed-upon goal of one degree. Among other things:
  • Half as many people would suffer from lack of water.
  • There would be fewer deaths and illnesses from heat, smog and infectious diseases.
  • Seas would rise nearly 10 centimetres less.
  • Half as many animals with backbones and plants would lose the majority of their habitats.
  • There would be substantially fewer heat waves, downpours and droughts.
  • The West Antarctic ice sheet might not kick into irreversible melting.
  • And it just may be enough to save most of the world's coral reefs from dying.

     READ MORE

​Plastic Pollution: How Humans are Turning the World into Plastic

September 25, 2018 - Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell 
This video is a collaboration with UN Environment and their Clean Seas campaign
Modern life would be impossible without plastic – but we have long since lost control over our invention. Why has plastic turned into a problem and what do we know about its dangers?

​We could shift to sustainability and save $26 trillion.

September 9, 2018 - VOX - David Roberts (Twitter)
The costs of the status quo keep rising; the costs of sustainable alternatives keep declining.Why aren't we doing it? 
 
​Sooner or later, humanity must live sustainably or it won’t go on living — that’s what “sustainable” means. And any fundamental shift toward sustainability is enjoyed by all subsequent generations of humans, so, y’know, the value compounds...

The costs of the status quo keep rising; the costs of sustainable alternatives keep declining...

​...these days, it has gotten almost impossible to make sustainability look like a bad deal. Two forces are acting as a pincer, making the decision more and more obvious.

             READ MORE

​Ireland becomes world's first country to divest from fossil fuels

August 26, 2018 - The Guardian
The Republic of Ireland will become the world’s first country to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of parliament.
​

.....and Costa Rica to ban fossil fuels and become world's first         decarbonised society

Independent -
Costa Rica’s new president has announced a plan to ban fossil fuels and become the first fully decarbonised country in the world.
Carlos Alvarado, a 38-year-old former journalist, made the announcement to a crowd of thousands during his inauguration on Wednesday. 
"Decarbonisation is the great task of our generation and Costa Rica must be one of the first countries in the world to accomplish it, if not the first," Mr Alvarado said.
The kind of right thinking that our Canadian government needs to do more of! - FVC

​Costa Rica: A Model for Sustainability

August 21, 2018 - Earth Share, By Erica Flock

The mountains north of Costa Rica’s capital city San Jose are covered in small coffee farms. To the untrained eye, they’re quite picturesque but Michelle Deugd of the Rainforest Alliance urges the group I’m touring with to look closer. These farms are missing an important, sustainable feature: trees.
Not only does coffee grow best under shade trees, this simple practice helps preserve biodiversity. 
The Rainforest Alliance works in Costa Rica and many other countries to help farmers adopt green practices like this and today we’re visiting one such farm: Doka Estate Coffee.

Unlike most of the farms around it, Doka is preserving its trees, phasing out the use of most pesticides, and incorporating many other sustainable practices. Quality coffee like this earns a better price in the market, and workers are spared the damaging health effects of pesticides. During the tour where we learn about the sorting and drying of coffee beans, we hear a variety of birds calling from nearby trees. Managed right, a coffee farm makes great habitat for wildlife.      READ MORE
This world is pregnant with God, Saint Angela of Foligno, ofs, 1248-1309

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